Virginia House, Senate move to fast-track CTE teachers
With a growing demand for skilled workers, Virginia lawmakers are tackling a critical issue: the shortage of career and technical education (CTE) teachers. A bipartisan effort to provide an alternative pathway for CTE instructors has cleared both chambers of the General Assembly and now awaits review by the governor.
Businesses across the state have struggled to fill workforce gaps, a challenge that has been a major focus of Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration. While CTE programs are seen as a vital pipeline for future workers, they face the same staffing shortages as public schools.
'The shortage is expected to worsen over the next five years, and the demand for these programs is increasing,' said Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, who sponsored Senate Bill 879, during a Senate subcommittee hearing last month.
Virginia recorded more than 708,800 students enrolled in at least one CTE course during the 2022-23 school year, Ebbin noted. Yet, filling teaching positions remains a major hurdle — especially for career switchers facing what he called 'unrealistic coursework' requirements before they can teach in their specialized fields.
Ebbin's legislation and House Bill 2018 aim to address this challenge by allowing CTE teacher candidates to receive a provisional license for up to three years. To qualify, candidates must have completed high school or hold an equivalent certificate, along with a special certificate or license in their subject area.
The programs impacted include construction, manufacturing, public safety, and transportation. But unlike traditional teacher licensure, candidates would not have to fulfill all Virginia Board of Education requirements for a full teaching license.
Del. Bonita Anthony, D-Norfolk, who carried the legislation in the House and transitioned from engineering to teaching, emphasized the legislation's broader impact. 'By addressing teacher shortages and supporting CTE programs, this bill strengthens Virginia's workforce and classrooms,' she said.
Her bill was modified to align with the Senate version, which was more 'narrowly focused,' according to House Education Committee Chair Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke.
A key addition to the House version of the bill was the equivalency assessment framework, designed to ensure licensure keeps pace with evolving industry standards. The legislation has drawn backing from some Northern Virginia school divisions, the Virginia Manufacturers Association, SkillsUSA Virginia Foundation, and the Virginia Association for Career and Technical Education.
While education advocates generally support giving candidates time to earn industry credentials, some worry about cutting essential coursework. Virginia Education Association Policy Analyst Chad Stewart told a Senate subcommittee last month that skipping key teaching courses — such as classroom management — could hurt new instructors.
'We think these teachers are going to be more likely to stay in the classroom if they have these skills,' Stewart said. 'They're also three-hour courses that you can take over the course of three years while you're on your provisional license. We don't see this as overbearing. We see these as essential courses that should be taken by all teachers to be effective and serve all students well.'
Despite the debate, the legislation is moving forward. On Thursday, the Senate Education and Health Committee advanced HB 2018 to the full Senate for consideration.
Meanwhile, Ebbin's version of the bill sailed through the Senate with a unanimous 40-0 vote on Monday and now heads to the House for consideration.
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WASHINGTON — A key House committee is looking into the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes, working to subpoena President Donald Trump's Department of Justice for files in the case as well as hold a deposition of Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee acted just before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent lawmakers home early for a monthlong break from Washington. The committee's moves are evidence of the mounting pressure for disclosure in a case that Trump has unsuccessfully urged his supporters to move past. But they were also just the start of what can be a drawn out process. Here's what could happen next in the House inquiry as lawmakers seek answers in a case that has sparked rampant speculation since Epstein's death in 2019 and more recently caused many in the Trump administration to renege on promises for a complete accounting. Democrats, joined by three Republicans, were able to successfully initiate the subpoena from a subcommittee just as the House was leaving Washington for its August recess. But it was just the start of negotiations over the subpoena. The subcommittee agreed to redact the names and personal information of any victims, but besides that, their demand for information is quite broad, encompassing 'un-redacted Epstein files.' As the parameters of the subpoena are drafted, Democrats are demanding that it be fulfilled within 30 days from when it is served to Attorney General Pam Bondi. They have also proposed a list of document demands, including the prosecutorial decisions surrounding Epstein, documents related to his death, and communication from any president or executive official regarding the matter. Ultimately, Republicans who control the committee will have more power over the scope of the subpoena, but the fact that it was approved with a strong bipartisan vote gives it some heft. The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., said he told the speaker that 'Republicans on the Oversight Committee were going to move to be more aggressive in trying to get transparency with the Epstein files. So, we did that, and I think that's what the American people want.' Comer has said that he is hoping that staff from the committee can interview Maxwell under oath on Aug. 11 at or near the federal prison in Florida where she is serving a lengthy sentence for child sex trafficking. In a congressional deposition, the subject typically has an attorney present to help them answer — or not answer — questions while maintaining their civil rights. Subjects also have the ability to decline to answer questions if it could be used against them in a criminal case, though in this instance that might not matter because Maxwell has already been convicted of many of the things she will likely be asked about. Maxwell has the ability to negotiate some of the terms of the deposition, and she already conducted 1 1/2 days of interviews with Justice Department officials this past week. Democrats, however, warn that Maxwell is not to be trusted. 'We should understand that this is a very complex witness and someone that has caused great harm and not a good person to a lot of people,' Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the oversight committee, told reporters this week. Committee Republicans also initiated a motion to subpoena a host of other people, including former President Bill Clinton, former Sen. Hillary Clinton as well as the former attorneys general dating back to Alberto Gonzales, who served under George W. Bush. It's not clear how this sweeping list of proposed subpoenas will actually play out, but Comer has said, 'We're going to move quickly on that.' Trump is no stranger to fighting against congressional investigations and subpoenas. And as with most subpoenas, the Justice Department can negotiate the terms of how it fulfills the subpoena. It can also make legal arguments against handing over certain information. Joshua A. Levy, who teaches on congressional investigations at Georgetown Law School and is a partner at Levy Firestone Muse, said that the results of the subpoena 'depend on whether the administration wants to work through the traditional accommodation process with the House and reach a resolution or if one or both sides becomes entrenched in its position.' If Congress is not satisfied with Bondi's response — or if she were to refuse to hand over any information — there are several ways lawmakers can try to enforce the subpoena. However, that would require a vote to hold Bondi in contempt of Congress. It's practically unheard of for one political party to vote to hold one of its own members in contempt of Congress, but the Epstein saga has also cut across political lines and driven a wedge in the GOP. Ultimately, the bipartisan vote to subpoena the files showed how political pressure is mounting on the Trump administration to disclose the files. Politics, policy and the law are all bound up together in this case, and many in Congress want to see a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation. 'We can't allow individuals, especially those at the highest level of our government, to protect child sex traffickers,' said Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., a committee member. The Trump administration is already facing the potential for even more political tension. When Congress comes back to Washington in September, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers is working to advance to a full House vote a bill that aims to force the public release of the Epstein files.
